Presently, computer systems such as personal computers, workstations, laptops, notebook computers, etc. are experiencing ever increasing popularity due to their increased processing power, speed, versatility, and economy. With the virtual explosion in the number and the different types of computer systems, there has been a corresponding degree of demand for input devices used to facilitate the human interaction with these computer systems. In the past, the primary input device simply consisted of a keyboard. The human operator entered data by typing on alpha-numeric, special function, and arrow keys from the keyboard. The entered data was usually displayed on a computer screen.
Subsequently, a more sophisticated and user-friendly interface encompassing the use of a cursor to perform editing and selection functions was developed. Typically, an input device coupled to the computer system is manipulated by the user to control the movement of the cursor on the display screen. One or more buttons are used to perform the desired selection functions. For example, a user can place a cursor over an icon displayed on the computer screen. Thereupon, the icon can be selected by clicking the button. This "point-and-click" feature has proven to be extremely popular and has gained wide acceptance.
There are several different types of input devices for controlling the cursor that are commercially available today. These input devices can take many different forms, such as a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, a writing pen, a stylus tablet, to name a few. One of the most promising and exciting new developments in the future of input devices is the use of touchpads. Touchpads sense the inherent capacitance associated with a user's finger. Thereby, a cursor can be controlled according to the movement of a user's finger. In other words, a user can simply trace a finger across the touchpad. The computer mimics this movement and drags the cursor across the screen to any desired location.
Typically, the computer has a rectangular shaped screen. In most instances, the width of the computer screen is greater than its height. In an effort to track the general contour of the computer screen, trackpads are usually designed to also be rectangular. Thereby, movement along the X-axis of the touchpad causes the cursor on the computer screen to move horizontally, and movement along the Y-axis of the touchpad produces a vertical cursor movement.
However, when implementing a touchpad or some other type of input device in various computer systems, there might be instances wherein it is difficult or impossible to incorporate the touchpad in its preferred or suggested orientation. For example, in the layout of laptop computers, the various components are typically crammed together in order to minimize its size. There might not be enough room to physically fit the touchpad in the limited amount of space available.
One possible solution is to rotate the trackpad to an orientation so that it can be accommodated by the surrounding components. However, the problem one now faces is how to design the touchpad so that it acknowledges that its orientation has been rotated and adapts to its new orientation accordingly. For example, if the touchpad is rotated 90 degree so that its height is greater than its width, the touchpad should recognize vertical movements as being vertical rather than horizontal and vice versa. In other words, once the touchpad has been rotated, its sense lines should be horizontal, and its trace lines should be vertical.
Hence, there exists a need in the prior art for an apparatus and method that provides for different orientations of a touchpad or other similar input devices so that cursor movements will be correctly traced on the computer screen. It would be highly preferable if such an apparatus and method were to operate transparent to the user.